1. Field
A multidirectional input device is provided.
2. Related Art
In the conventional multidirectional input device 100, as shown in FIG. 9, the circular keytop 170 is press-fitted to the push slide 150 to be fixed in the external housing 180. A rotary plate 132 and a chassis 121 are fixed to the push slide 150, and these are placed on the switch substrate 110 on which the domed push switches 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e and 110f are allocated.
The vicinity of the circumference of the keytop 170 is pressed in the direction of the arrow A by a first operation. Upon pressing the keytop 170 in the direction of the arrow A, the keytop 170 is tilted in the direction A.
During this tilting operation, the push slide 150, the rotary plate 132 and chassis 121 are simultaneously tilted.
When the chassis 121 is tilted, a convex portion 121h of the cassis 121 controls (presses) the push switch 110b of the switch substrate 110 with a predetermined control force, whereby the push switch 110b is switched on.
When the pressing in the direction of the arrow A is relieved, the tilt of the push slide 150, rotary plate 132, chassis 121 and keytop 170 is restored to the original position due to the elastic force of the push switch 110b, and the push switch 110b is thereby switched off. With this tilting operation, when another vicinity of the circumference of the keytop 170 is pressed, the keytop 170 is also tilted in the corresponding direction. During this tilt, respective convex portions 121h of the chassis 121 switch on the respective push switches 110c, 110d and 110e. 
A second operation of the rotary encoder that has a five-directional push switch is to press the center portion of the keytop 170 in the direction of the arrow B as shown in FIG. 10. By pressing the keytop 170 in the direction of the arrow B as described above, the push slide 150 is moved down against the elastic force of the slide return spring 140.
During this descendent of the push slide 150, the convex portion 150d of the push slide 150 presses the push switch 110f of the switch substrate 110, thereby switching on the push switch 110f. 
When the pressing on the keytop 170 is relieved, the keytop 170 is automatically returned to the original position due to the elastic recovery force of the push switch 110f and the elastic force of the return spring 140.
With the first and second operations described above, the control force of respective push switches 110c, 110d, 110e and 110f, and the control force of the slide return spring 140 can be set uniformly or non-uniformly.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-345031 (Patent Document 1) is an example of the related art.
The conventional multidirectional input device 100 described above has a construction such that the keytop 170 presses the domed push switches 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e and 110f via the push slide 150, rotary plate 132 and chassis 121. A large number of components are needed, and thus, the operational feeling is sacrificed. Since a large number of components are used the size tends to increase in the thickness direction.